The Freedom Bus

Hi, my name is Kate Chamberlain and I run retreats in association with Colin Hiles (founder of ‘Finding Your Smile’).  We assist adults in mid-life understand what they’re going through and re-work their lives to once again find their smile.   This is a non-profit making venture which also raises money for charity (see below for more details).  If you’re going through some mid-life changes and are interested in taking time out for yourself while receiving support and guidance along your own personal journey, then this is for you.  This page gives you information on the following:

• What is Mid-Life?
• The Opportunity that Mid-Life Brings
  
• Why Go on a Retreat?
• The ‘Finding Your Smile’ Mid-life Retreat
• Our French Retreat Venue
• What’s in the Itinerary?
• Who are Your Facilitators?
• What are the Benefits?
• How Does it Work?
• Who Comes on the Retreat?
• How Much Does it Cost?
• When is the Next Retreat?
• How Do I Get There?
• How Do I Book?

What is Mid-Life?

Mid-life is a turning point in our lives.  The chance to re-evaluate who we really are, what we stand for and how we really want to live our lives. The impetus to do this comes from the need to reconnect with our true inner values and principles – those elements of ourselves that we often drift away from in the first half of our lives as we try to live by society’s measures of success and play out our various roles to the best of our ability.  For many there is a realisation somewhere between the ages of 35 and 50 that something is wrong.  We just don’t feel as happy and fulfilled as we expected to be.

This can be a painful experience and it’s not uncommon for mid-lifers to go into a period of denial, putting uncomfortable feelings down to being over-tired, stressed or hormonal.  However, if you’re not living life by your true values those feelings will almost certainly persist and continued denial will be at the expense of your physical, mental and emotional well being.

The Opportunity that Mid-Life Brings

The true purpose of mid-life is to present you with the opportunity to reconnect with your true identity.  Who are you?  What do you value?  What are you here for?  How do you want to live the second half of your life?  These are not necessarily easy questions to answer truthfully, and you may experience difficulties as you try to let go of the old you and embrace the new.  However, having the courage to take this path will almost certainly lead you to greater happiness and fulfilment in your life.

Why Go on a Retreat?

Going on a retreat and taking time out from your normal daily routine gives you the opportunity to totally focus on yourself and your needs.  Most of us who lead busy, stressful lives take holidays to ‘get away from it all’ and ‘forget everything’.  We usually return feeling refreshed and rejuvenated for  a short while, but the bubble soon bursts as we realise that everything in our lives is just how we left it.  Nothing has really changed.

The ‘Finding Your Smile’ Mid-life Retreat

The ‘Finding Your Smile’ Mid-life Retreat is different.  Here you’ll have the opportunity to ‘hit the pause button’ and take time out just for yourself.  The chance to begin discovering who you really and what you want from life.  You’ll be guided and supported by professional coaches who are fellow mid-lifers and you’ll also meet and work with other participants on their mid-life journeys.

The main purpose of the ‘Finding Your Smile’ Mid-life Retreat is to assist you in taking your own journey to authenticity and purpose.  To live a life that’s consistent with your values and principles.  During the retreat you’ll have the time to begin:

• Re-examining your life, career and relationships
• Reclaiming your passions, strength and long-neglected dreams
• Recognising your True Self beyond the roles you live your life out of
• Creating a future brimming with possibilities making the second half of your life the most profound and satisfying years of all.

The other aim of ‘Finding Your Smile’ is to raise money for charity.  Click on the Background and Philosophy page to find out more about how we do this.

This purposeful time-out will provide you with the encouragement, strategies, tools and experiences you need to find your smile.

And what better place to do it than in the beautiful Lauraugais countryside of South West France!

Our French Retreat Venue – The French ‘Finding Your Smile’ Retreat is held in the beautiful Lauraugais countryside of South West France.  Situated mid-way between the cosmopolitan city of Toulouse and the medieval Cathar city of Carcassonne, the Lauraugais countryside is a rural oasis full of gorgeous rolling hills, farmland and summer fields full of sunflowers.  Dotted on every hill top are tiny medieval villages and stone built farmhouses typical of the region.

Our retreat lodgings  are in ‘La Metairie Rouge’, a beautiful recently converted farmhouse adapted specially with retreats and personal development workshops in mind.  The owners have lovingly restored the farmhouse, respecting the original features by renovating the exposed stonework, wooden beams and open fireplaces.  The property enjoys extensive private gardens with a small lake and swimming pool plus it’s own forest with winding footpaths.

Sleeping accommodation is on a shared basis with 2 – 4 beds provided per room.  Each bedroom has it’s own en suite shower room and everything is simply but comfortably and tastefully furnished.  Most people attending retreats come on their own, so sharing a room is part of the experience.  I know for some people this is a little outside their comfort zone but it sets the tone of the retreat.  At ‘Finding Your Smile’ we value a sense of community and sharing plays a big part in that.  That said, I will do everything I can to put people together who share things in common.

For more information and photos of the venue, please visit www.lametairierouge.com

What’s in the Itinerary?

We will meet the first evening for a ‘get together’ meal.  Each day will start at 8am for breakfast in the kitchen diner and the programme will begin at 9am in the salon.  After lunch we’ll get in touch with nature and head out to the surrounding countryside which includes St Ferreol Lake, the Black Mountains and pine forests.  Breakfast and lunches will be carried out community style within the Farmhouse while dinners will normally be eaten out at local restaurants.

Who Are Your Facilitators?

Your French mid-life retreat is primarily facilitated by myself, Kate Chamberlain.  I am an experienced coach and group facilitator as well as a fellow mid-lifer and welcome the opportunity to help others along their own mid-life journeys.  You can read more about my own story and background here.

I’m delighted to confirm that my co-facilitator will be Jeni Purdie, author of Life Coaching for Dummies.  Jeni is a highly experienced and competent life coach and is also on a tremendous mid-life journey like the rest of us.   A true asset to the team!

Also part of the team is Nese Pelt, a yoga and meditation teacher who will be giving a special class during the retreat.  I have learned so much from Nese about living a balanced and low-stress life.  She is unbelievably perceptive and is very gifted in how she works with others.  I recommend her class to learn how you can achieve peace and relaxation even if you lead a busy, hectic life.

What are the Benefits?

• A greater sense of integrity and authenticity
• An experience of being more alive
• An increased feeling of contribution
• Stronger health and psychological well-being
• A life that’s more congruent
• A deeper connection with a community of like-minded people

How Does it Work?

The mid-life time-out provides an opportunity to review the dilemmas mid-life has presented you with.  Over three days, in a small group setting, you’ll get:

• Support, help and guidance to look at where you are today and what has brought you to this point in your life
• Explore what’s holding you back, and what resources you have that will support you moving forward
• Look at the choices you currently see for yourself and the criteria you use to evaluate these choices
• Put together a mid-life map for your journey through change

The ‘Finding Your Smile’ process is designed to reach deep inside you and uncover your passions, your truths and what makes your heart sing.

What are the group sizes?

Each retreat normally has between 8 and 12 attendees.  In addition to working directly with the coaches, you’ll play, laugh and work with your fellow mid-lifers on the retreat.  You can expect to develop a close circle of friendship with these other smile seekers whom you keep in contact with.

Who Comes on the Retreat?

Guests who come on the ‘Finding Your Smile’ Retreat have varied backgrounds.  There is usually a good mix of male and females.  We’ve had friends, singles, family members and couples.  Regardless of their age, gender or relationship they all have one thing in common – a deep desire to answer the question – ‘what next?’.  Some may be experiencing a ‘crisis’ of some kind, others are looking for a little more fun, freedom or fulfillment in their life.  A big part of the Retreat experience is interacting and learning from the other guests and their life experiences.  Whatever the reason for coming, gender or age, the intention is to start on a profound personal journey to a more authentic life.

How Much Does it Cost?

Our commitment – none of the coaches are in this to make a profit.  For us it’s a chance to give back by doing something significant, so we give our time freely.  This means you only pay for the direct running costs of the retreat and a nominal amount to keep the venture running.

Full price: £450 per person

Included in the price – four night’s accommodation, breakfast, lunch, evening meal and light refreshments throughout the day (plus a couple of glasses of wine each evening!) and all the ‘Finding Your Smile’ course materials.

Not included in the price – all travel arrangements to and from the Retreat are your responsibility and are at your own cost.  It is also your responsibility to take out appropriate health/travel insurance and make sure you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if you’re travelling from the UK or another European country.  You can apply for an EHIC  free online at: https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do

If at the end of the retreat you feel you have gained value from the experience we ask you to pledge a charitable donation of money or time towards a charity of your choice.  You can learn more about this on our Background and Philosophy page.

When is the Next Retreat?

The ‘Finding Your Smile’ Retreat is a full 3 days and 4 nights and the next one in France is running from Wednesday 23rd – Friday 25th September 2009.  You’ll need to fly in no later than Tuesday evening and fly out no earlier than Saturday morning.

How Do I Get There?

The venue is midway between Toulouse and Carcassonne airports and both are served by a selection of flights to and from several different UK airports:

Ryanair – flights to Carcassonne from East Midlands, Stansted, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Edinburgh and Shannon airports

Easyjet – flights to Toulouse from Bristol and Gatwick airports

British Airways – flights to Toulouse from Heathrow airport

Once you’ve booked your place on the retreat, I recommend you book your flights as early as possible as they are generally much cheaper.

The Retreat venue is 1 hour’s drive from both airports and is not served by public transport (it is a Retreat after all!).  You can take taxis from the airports, but we’ve found them a bit expensive and not always reliable.  The cheapest, quickest and most reliable means of getting yourselves to and from the venue is to share a hire car with other retreat attendees.  This can be organised nearer the time when I put all attendees in touch with each other via a pre-retreat teleconference and emails.

How Do I Book?

Email me via the contact form below and I’ll send you a booking form plus our terms & conditions. I’ll also arrange a telephone call with you to get a better understanding of your needs, find out what you’re hoping to gain from the retreat experience and answer any questions you may have.

Bookings can only be accepted on receipt of a booking form and a £150 deposit.  Confirmation of the booking will be sent by email.

A Short Message

My colleagues and I participate in the ‘Finding Your Smile’ process both as coaches and fellow travellers.  As such we view the entire process, from registration to the work conducted on the retreat, as a collaborative and co-constructed journey.  The retreat begins the moment you’ve successfully registered.  At this point you’ll be send the ‘Finding Your Smile’ questionnaire.  Comprised of 20 questions, the questionnaire is an opportunity for you to begin the journey of getting to know yourself at a deeper level, a journey that will continue through and beyond the retreat.

The first step to attending this retreat is to say “no” right now to the busyness of your daily life and “yes” to yourself.  It’s time to focus on YOU.  Email me here to take that first step…